Effects of an Exchange-Reducing Defect on a Skyrmion Interaction in Antiferromagnetic Frustrated Films

The skyrmion crystal with structure defects in the form of holes of different diameters on the properties of skyrmions with triangular lattice in frustrated antiferromagnetic film and its phase transition are studied. The effects of an exchange-reducing defect on a skyrmion lattice phase in antiferromagnetic frustrated films are reduced to a shift in the critical temperature without changing the type of phase transition, and hole sizes in a wide range of diameters do not affect the properties and number of skyrmions. Such type of nanoscale defects can be created by using a focused ion beam microscope. The skyrmion lattice phase in the presence of defects becomes stable in an external magnetic field. The critical value of the magnetic field at which the skyrmion lattice phase vanishes 1/3 time as large in the absence of a defect than in the presence of a defect. In addition, skyrmions are formed at lower external field values compared to the case in the absence of a defect. The defects lead to an increase in the energy of the ground state (GS)—the larger the diameter of the defect, the more pronounced GS energy increasing. Due to these unique properties, we call on further theoretical and experimental studies on this frustrated antiferromagnetic film.